Haah, yeah, i have lost a lot of weight since taking my avatar picture

Yes, the rear tyre is heavy. Maybe too heavy. It does soak up all lumps and bumps amazingly well compared to the other 3" tyre which in itself was far better than any mtb tyre. But the weight penalty of the new 3.5 tyre which is also radial contruction making it even more heavy for its size was something i over looked before buying
12 to 13psi is all that is needed and the tread is about 11 to12mm deep. The rear wnd of the bike is fairly anchored to the ground. when the front gets airbourne the rear seems t almost forget to take-off

Quokka wrote:How much clearance do you have from the rear tire to the swing arm? Must be getting close wirh that monster. Rear tire looks super tough

There's only about 2-3mm , but enough space for there to be no rubbing. I had to widen the rear mud guard for it to fit over the tyre. I used a heat gun on the plasitic and molded it over the tyre once warm. Then attached it to the swigarms and then heated each side while shoving some screwdriver handles between the tyre and the inside of the mudguard. It now fits

The tyre is as heavy as a lead balloon. I may end up going back to a 3" that is not a radial construction. If a tyre has an 'R' next to the sizing in its description or of course on the tyre i think its best to avoid. I want this tyre purely for getting through thick wet mud and sodden grass hills/mountain sides.. nothing more.

Took advantage of a dry spell thinking a few places may have dried out a little. It was a very foggy day and muddier than expected.
My rear 3.5 tyre performed as good as the dogs danglies

The manitou dorado forks have been amazing so far. I did a 23 mile scouting mission looking for new trails and stumbled across a purpose made dirtbike jump course and twin slalom race circuit. The funny thing is i have skirted by this location many times and just happens this time to poke my nose up a different track and.... Hey presto!

Thanks Doc. Yes, i am quite obsessed with it. I have much better turning circle with the new manitou forks. They must have a little more caster angle pushing the legs more forward than the Rockshox forks i was using before.

Wheazel wrote:Cool build, but I don't get how you can ride without a full mudguard setup.
I find bikes close to useless without em.
I had my years of cold and wet ass on my road hybrid. Never again.

I haven't found a good solution as yet for a front guard, but yes, i do need one as my face takes a lot of crap. Rear mudhugger is good for up to a 23" diameter moto tyre. I have been looking for a front 'THE Industires' front guard for my manitou forks but cannot get one in U.K

hope this helps you and if you find a set of the old The guards point me in that direction please ill do the same

Thanks for the links. it seems the clear guards are all that can be got, i have read they are much lower quality plastic than the original colour ones. Will keep looking and let you know if i stumble on any.

My personal opinion is that most mudguards that are available are inferior.
Of course there is a design aspect to most of them, and the common problem is that they cover too little.
Mud and water is flying everywhere.
I have more or less come to the conclusion that I will need to make them to get them the way I want.
3d printing in abs and cover with fiberglass might be an experiment for the summer.

Jonboy wrote:Howdy Bro.. where's that track And? waw a winter has passed & we haven't been out bog snorkeling! Light nights are coming.. hey some time soon, have to give it some hell on the fire roads if u like...

Haaah! Great to hear from you Jon . Yep been doing more tinkering than riding due to mud, mud and more mud. Ploughing the land is fun at the time until i get home and have to clean the crap off the bike.

The track is at the back edge of Caerphilly. Its called the Van Trails and is just off Van Road. I'd seen it beofre on google maps and thought it must have been a working quarry. Ended up stumbling on in real life whilst scouting for trails. Your boys would love it. Its been designed with different difficulties. I've been there a few times and its usually empty. There are signs that it gets used for races,, maybe in the summer months. I guess its been there a year or two.

Would love to hit some fire roads soon. Clocks go forward in two weeks so things are looking up. Done a few changes to the bike, and had a few crashes along the way, and am now juggling two kids!!

I'm in the Forest of Dean. planning on building a FUTR. This is all new to me, could use some experienced folk to hook up with.

Hi mate, i,m in S.Wales. My bike looks like this at present...

I have recently added a front 19" moto wheel and mx tyre , with mx tyre on rear too. Front mud guard is a modified rear mudhugger. Bike is in bits at the moment waiting for new swingarm bushings to arrive from Canada

You would be more than welcome to join me for a ride or if you need any advice please message me. Btw, i have left you a private message.
Andrew

Awesome build ! Wish I still lived in S.Wales got some of the best trails around !
I like what you did with the thermomplastic to protect the controller from mud and spray , do you have a link for where I can buy the stuff?